By the horns
by RisingEagle
Summary: Follow the struggles of Shay Bonham and his sister Alice as they (quite literally) fight their way through high school at Bullworth Academy. Is our oddball of a protagonist going to fit in? And most importantly, are he and his sister going to survive the insanity that is Bullworth Academy? If you can keep your brain from going livid from the suspense, you might just find out.
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to Bullworth Academy

August, the month of summer's dying breath. The sun shone brightly, and the birds chirped with vigor as they settled on the branches of the lush trees. There was no doubt about it: summer had not ended yet. But for many students around the world, summer had most certainly ended, and the disappointed and anxious looking adolescent who stepped out of a bright, yellow bus was not an exception. An equally miffed girl followed behind him. A stern and, frankly, bitchy looking lady glared at the lad and the girl as they approached the iron gate. ''You're late.' The lady said. As if the they could have done anything to speed up that bus! Best to let that one ride. As the useless comment rode, the lady continued. ''I've been so free as to inform the headmaster about your delay, so you can hurry on ahead and meet him in his study. Go on, children!'' And on the children went, across the path that led to the school building. The path met two others at a certain point, both of which led to different buildings. The building on the left drew the most attention, not because it was imposing, but because it was being bombarded with perpetrators didn't have much time to finish their work, as an angry man in a blue suit decided to start chasing them around the school. A bizarre sight indeed... Did that happen all the time, or was this just to impress the newcomers? In any case, the newcomers were quite impressed. So impressed that they picked up their pace and walked into the school building. Another man in blue approached them immediately after they came in, but thankfully not with the intention of chasing them around the school. ''You're the new kids, right? Crabblesnitch' office is upstairs.'' The 'new kids' followed the man as he led them to Crabblesnitch' office. Crabblesnitch. What a name! The young man resolved not to mention that during his first conversation with this Crabblesnitch. In the meantime, the three of them had arrived at the headmaster's study. The man in blue opened the door, allowing the other two to walk right into the office. There had never been a finer gentleman. A stern, weary voice greeted them. ''There you are! You're late!'' The fascination with time among old people these days,.. ''Miss. Danvers informed me in time that you were delayed, so there's no harm done. But do try to be punctual! We value that here at Bullworth Academy.'' Really? They did? Quickly, ring the New York Times! ''... At any rate, welcome! Shay Bonham, correct? And...'' The principal gave the girl a curious look. ''... Alice.'' The girl sounded a bit annoyed. Understandable. First, a rant about punctuality, and to top it all off, he'd forgotten her name to boot! ''Alice, of course. Welcome, Shay and Alice, to Bullworth Academy.'' The most crooked and forced smile in history defiled Crabblesnitch' face. ''We are a well-known and moreover, well-respected school, and we greatly value our tradition of stern discipline, strict schedules and strong moral fiber!...'' One of those stories, was it? Shay nor Alice were particularly interested. Shay and Alice Bonham. Two sixteen year old adolescents, born in a family of an Irishman and his American wife. The former inspected the office whilst enjoying Crabblesnitch' story about tradition and honor. The headmaster seemed to be a well-read man, or at least, he enjoyed pretending to be one. Most likely the latter. The office was quite ornate, too. A snob as well, lovely. ''Now, children.'' A sharp raising of his voice interrupted Shay's investigation. ''We've readied your uniforms. You can find those in your dorm rooms. I have to stress that we most certainly expect you to wear them!'' Shay nodded. ''Yes sir.'' He had no accent, despite his Irish ancestry, Neither did his sister, who was also nodding. ''Good.'' Crabblesnitch was pleased by his display of obedience. Prick. ''Furthermore... Classes start at nine and end at three thirty in the afternoon. Let it be known that we will NOT tolerate truancy! If we catch you skipping class... And we WILL!... Appropriate punishment will be given. The same goes for bouts of foul behavior! Do you both understand?'' They nodded again. ''Aye, sir.'' Shay liked saying that word. Archaic words in general. Crabblesnitch did, too, so he decided that one such word would make for a good ending note, and apparently, it did. ''Very good. You may take your leave, then!''  
>What a relief! They both walked out of the office in what could be considered a very well masked hurry. Alice was the first to sigh in relief. ''Not my type.'' Shay chuckled. ''I'm sure you'll find someone else.'' Alice and Shay had a very good relationship. They could always hang out, crack jokes and share their thoughts. Both of them were very happy about that, because the opposite is quite common and far less enjoyable. Alice got the joke, but she wasn't quite done complaining about the headmaster yet. ''Did you see his hair?!'' Shay lost his composure upon hearing that. ''H-His hair was... I can't even imagine why!'' He imagined that Crabblesnitch would go to the barber shop and simply tell him to 'mess up his hair', with his current coupe as a result. ''He's a trendsetter! Next thing you know, we'll all look like Hitler.'' That was a risky joke. Thankfully, none of the staff heard it. The man from before approached them again when he spotted them outside the building. ''You know where the dorms are, right?'' Neither of them were completely certain. The man pointed in the direction of the school gate. ''The boy's dorm is on the right, and the girl's is on the left.'' Slow nodding from the other party. ''Thanks.''<br>''Thank you, SIR!'' The prefect roared. Shay almost flinched. ''Of course!'' He said, before heading off quickly with his sister at his side. The latter looked over her shoulder for a moment and saw the man yell at a few boys in the distance. ''... Rude.'' She rolled with her clear blue eyes. Shay grumbled. He didn't like it when people got the better of him like that. Shay, the stately one, or so his name implied. In truth, he was quite easily scared. He'd always been that way, ever since he was little. Normally, his sister would stick up for him when people picked on him, but this time, she was rather surprised herself. ''Another stuck-up jerk.'' Alice sighed. ''Well, I'm gonna check out my dorm room. See you later, Shay!'' She waved cheerily and took off. Shay looked at the filthy building that was apparently his dormitory. The fragrance of rotten eggs would no doubt wake him up a few times tonight. Suddenly, a scruffy-looking kid got in his way. He had numerous zits and red hair. ''Hey, new kid!'' He yelled. Why was he yelling?! Shay gave him a nod. ''Perceptive AND loud! Bullworth raised you real well.'' Shay had taught himself that biting sarcasm. Given his slightly frail nature, he knew he was going to need it. Not that Shay was a frail boy himself. He didn't sit on his ass all day, that much was clear from a mile away. Still, the red-haired ambusher wasn't impressed. ''What'd you just say?!'' His fingers curled up until he had himself a pair of menacing fists. Shay had no time to explain himself. ''You think you got balls, new kid?! DO YOU!?'' He did, but unfortunately, they were about to fall right off. ''We're gonna teach you how things work around here!'' The angry boy continued. A few others backed him up. ''Show him, Wade! Take him out!'' Shay sighed and threw his luggage on the ground. In a surprisingly steady voice for him given the situation, he said: ''Bless! Looks like I get to prove my manhood today!'' Wade couldn't stand Shay's condescending attitude any longer and rushed right in. Shay saw it coming, luckily. He always prepared for the worst, and this one time, that mindset proved appropriate. Wade's charge was interrupted by the sudden collision of Wade's stomach with Shay's knee, which forced all of the air out of his body. Shay shoved Wade, who stumbled back. He didn't fall over, which was commendable. Shay sighed. ''Are you going to do that again? One more sudden move and I might tear my waistcoat...'' He wasn't actually joking. Shay dressed fancy, and he valued his look a lot. He wasn't posh, but he did have certain standards for himself. Meanwhile Wade had grown even more enraged. First, he got snappy comebacks, and then he got humiliated! Not good for his reputation. Shay didn't seem to understand that, but Wade was determined to make him understand. He threw a hay maker at Shay, and made sure he put all his weight and force into it. Shay didn't dodge in time, but it didn't matter; Wade's damaged core took its toll on the punch, which turned into more of a stumble than a proper haymaker. Wade's tenacity, in turn, took its toll on Shay's composure. He wanted the fight to end, he couldn't stand the nerves. An overhand right struck Wade on his left temple, costing him his balance. Shay's breathing was shaky. Please, let it be over! His first day at school had descended into a horrible massacre... Wade was about to get up, though, which made Shay even more hopeless. Was Shay really that weak, or was this kid just not giving up? Wade still had his hand on his left temple, which was hurting quite a lot, as were Shay's knuckles. ''You're DEAD, new kid!'' Shay sighed heavily. ''To be honest, mate, I look a lot more alive than you do! Why don't you just let the new kid be so he doesn't feel compelled to put your head on a pike?!'' An absurd threat, but those weren't Shay's strongest point anyway. Wade responded by making a very sudden move. He punched Shay's nose with surprising speed considering his own injuries. Shay smelled a wet, rusty scent. Blood. Blood?! ''Fine, Wade. To your health!'' Shay spat in Wade's face, and landed another hard hit. Of course, that had to be the precise moment for the nearby prefect to witness. A dark man in the infamous blue suit jogged towards the scene. ''WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!'' He exclaimed, as he grabbed Shay by his collar. ''Would you mind?!'' Shay exclaimed. ''That's After Six!'' Still not a snob. The prefect clearly had no idea what After Six was, and kept holding on tight. ''What happened here?! I want answers!'' Wade was ready to give him some answers. ''Eh punfd me!'' Wade spat on the ground. The prefect shook his head and gave Shay a venomous look. ''A fight on your first day of school. The headmaster's going to want to have a good, long word with you, you little jerk!'' Call me little, Shay thought, and you'll insult yourself. After all, they were equal in height. Shay broke out of the prefect's grip. ''I object! He attacked ME! Why do you think my nose is bleeding?!'' Sense wasn't usually popular with school staff, but he couldn't help himself. It was just so horribly frustrating! ''Shut up and go to your dorm! The principal's going to talk to you later!'' And with that, the prefect was off. Shay fixed his winged collar, which was not quite damaged at all, thankfully. He gave Wade another look. ''Well, at least you managed to frame me. That worth your tooth, prick?!'' Shay took off in a hurry. He walked into his room and shoved all his luggage into the corner. A very plain uniform was waiting for him on a made bed. THAT was the school's uniform? Surely, he could customize his outfit a little bit so it wouldn't look... Well, like that. He sighed. Why in the world did his parents have to ditch him and his sister here!? He knew why, but he wasn't agreeing with anything anymore. His father had to move because of his job, and the family with him. As it happened, Bullworth Academy was the only school in the area. At the time, he didn't mind much. Shay didn't have a good time at his old school, because unlike his sister, he wasn't a particularly charming person and had trouble reaching out to people and making friends that way. He'd always been a bit of a wallflower. Not that he looked the part. Shay was a strapping young man with a face that could be considered handsome. Beautiful, even, according to a gang of middle aged admirers. He didn't have the feeling that his peers thought much of him, though, no, his peers were always interested in Alice. Not that he blamed them. He'd choose a stunning, sweet girl over a boring sod like him. But deep down, he'd hoped that people in Bullworth would choose him for him too, for a change. Well, one of them had chosen him already. As his target, no less. Flattering! Now that he saw what kind of place this was, he started getting depressed. He'd hoped for a fresh start, but this was far from fresh. This was fucked. Fucked and rotten. So far, the only thing about this place that didn't suck was the company of his sister, but the exact same thing applied to his old home. What his old home lacked was bullies, which this place was crawling with, apparently. Upon realizing that, he snapped out of his self pity. His sister was in the girl's dorm. Was she getting a hazing of her own? That idea made him anxious. Alice wasn't famous for her martial prowess. They could be ganging up on her and maim her for all he knew! Shay felt a sudden urge to run to the girl's dorm, but who'd be waiting for him outside? The string of intrusive thoughts was interrupted by the sound of his door opening. He looked at the source of the noise and saw a short, bald guy enter his room. He looked a bit... Aggressive. Was he going to fight him too?! The boy squinted when he caught Shay staring. ''Got a problem, fancy pants?!'' Shay shook his head. ''Just surprised and exhausted... Which I guess is a problem.'' The stranger shrugged and jumped onto the bed on the other end of the room. ''Whatever... Wait. Are you the new kid everyone's going crazy about?'' Shay nodded. ''Crazy's the word.'' The boy sat up and gave Shay another look. ''So, you're the kid who got into a fight just then?'' Shay sighed and nodded reluctantly. Jimmy smirked. ''I didn't see it, but I heard you showed him.'' ''Wade, you mean?'' Shay asked. Jimmy gave him a nod. ''Yeah, that asshole. He had it coming!'' Apparently, this kid was on his side. That's a first! Shay forced a smile. ''My name's Shay.'' ''Jimmy'' The bald boy opened a box of eggs, and threw it into the bin when he discovered it was empty. Jimmy gave Shay another squint. ''Are you English?'' Shay half nodded. ''Irish, aye. Or well, my dad is. I'm American.'' Jimmy seemed less tense. ''Okay. I thought you were one of those losers who pretend they're English so they can act all rich. You look like one, though.'' Shay saw a few snobby looking kids today. Jimmy was most likely referring to those. ''Those are just clothes! I'm not a snob!'' Shay wanted to make that extra clear. ''Then we're cool.'' Jimmy was sober about it, at least. ''So...'' Shay said. ''... How long have you been here?'' Jimmy snorted. ''Two days. So far, so shitty.'' Shay removed a strand of his auburn hair from his face. ''Same here, except I've only been here for twenty minutes.'' So, Jimmy had been here for two days? Shay was beginning to wonder if he was even going to last that long at this rate.


	2. Chapter 2: A running start

The girl's dorm was quite large, which was strange, considering the fact that the female students were a minority. Alice looked at the flowers in front of the building. They looked oddly charming, more like the kind of flower that a charming man would offer to his date, if he was so polite as to even bring a gift. None of her exes had been decent enough to buy her anything. Not that she expected them to, but still, she would have appreciated the gesture. That was why she always enjoyed Shay's gifts so much, not because they were frequent or expensive, but because they were gifts. Quite odd how simple thoughts can go astray so easily, Alice thought to herself. She opened the well-oiled door and entered the dormitory. The design was quite homely, almost cute, but not nearly enough for her to feel at home. After all, a home is not a home until you've lived in it, she thought. And she would be staying here for quite a while...  
>So far, so good. The girl's dorm wasn't covered in yolks and whites, which was certainly favorable, and the interior wasn't bad either. But it still lacked one thing: friends to hang out with. Alice was a sociable girl, and she liked being around friends,so being in a new environment without people to communicate with made her feel a little uneasy. Not in the same way as shy kids such as her brother, her feeling of uneasiness originated in a feeling of solitude, which in turn created a certain feeling of insecurity. She felt the latter feeling act up, urging her to hurry to and seek security in a space of her own, namely, her dorm room. She and Shay hadn't been told what their dorm room numbers were, which was quite odd. Maybe they had simply forgotten? How was she going to find her room in the first place? As she began to feel lost, she noticed a makeshift sign on one of the doors. ''Alice 3'' While she appreciated the gesture, the pink sharpy and love heart made her feel a bit awkward. Perhaps the author was simply trying to appeal to Alice in her own ''girly girl'' way? She didn't care much for girly girls, but she had to admit that she'd written notes with pink sharpies and hearts on it in the past, but those were addressed to friends, not strangers. Speaking of strangers, wasn't she a stranger to everyone here? How did they know her name? After resolving not to overthink matters, she stepped into the room. In it she found two beds and two wardrobes. One of the beds was made, and a neatly folded school uniform was waiting for her on top of it. A white shirt, a teal skirt and white socks. Slightly bland, but she thought it was cute. School uniforms were a new thing to her, so she embraced the concept for its exoticness. She felt a strong urge to try it on, and decided to just give in. Thankfully, it fit like a glove. If only she could find a mirror and see how it looked on her...<br>Suddenly, a slightly hoarse voice cried out behind her. ''Omigosh!'' Alice turned around, and saw an enthusiastic girl standing in the doorway. ''You're the new girl! Heeey-uh!'' The girl was smiling, and as she approached Alice, her red hair bounced about frivolously, as did certain other parts. Her modestly glossed lips were curled in a crooked, charming smile. Alice smiled back and said: ''Yeah, that's me. Hey!'' The redhead replied, still smiling. ''My name's Christy. So, like... Welcome to our school! Did you see my note?'' Alice half-chuckled for a split second. ''My name's Alice. Thanks for your note, Christy! To be honest, I was kind of.. Lost.'' She'd decided not to ask how she knew her name. Christy laughed. ''Aww, you're welcome! I gotta look out for my roommate!'' So Christy was her roommate! Makes sense, since she wrote the note. She seemed pretty nice, which made Alice feel more at ease than before. ''So, like...'' Christy had clearly mastered the rhetoric arts. ''Has anybody shown you around yet?'' Alice shook her head. ''I've only been here for 20 minutes or something. I'm glad I found my room, at least!'' Christy looked proud upon hearing that comment. ''You wanna go for a walk or something? I can show you around!'' Alice liked that idea. ''Sure!'' Alice said, her telltale smile shining brightly.  
>They were on their way out when Alice heard a snarky voice. ''Oh, wow., it's the NEW girl...'' Alice looked to her left and saw a gang of fluffed up cheerleaders, who were staring at her, each with an amused expression, save for one, who was standing behind the other two. The latter were both tall, with long legs and matured bosoms, much like Christy. One had dark brown hair, whereas the other had a lighter shade of brown. Both were wearing quite a bit of makeup, although the one on the right was wearing a remarkable amount. It was the girl with the auburn hair and the heavy makeup who had made that sneering remark about Alice, and she looked ready to say more. Christy didn't seem eager to stick around, but Alice stood her ground and looked at the cheerleader. ''... Oh wow, it's... What are you, exactly?'' Alice said, with a semi-confident expression and glaring eyes. The cheerleader wasn't amused by Alice's spunk, and glared right back. ''I'm everything you'll never be. Just remember that when you walk around with your cleavage showing, whore!' She turned around quite abruptly and walked away. The other brunette followed her, but the third cheerleader stayed behind and looked at Alice and Christy. The latter looked apologetic and a little unnerved. ''Oh, wow... So, that's Mandy. She's a bitch.'' Alice shook her head and laughed. ''You don't say!'' She looked confident, but she was rather upset. Why was this Mandy girl so mean to her? And moreover, were her breasts really showing? She looked down, but without much result. Her blouse was buttoned up appropriately by mainstream standards. Christy cought Alice in her moment of insecurity, and tried brushing it aside. ''You look totally fine, she's just bitchy today. Her boyfriend, like, cheated or whatever.'' Alice was going to ask out loud what her problem was, but Christy just answered that. Whatever, she thought. A wolf does not lose sleep over the opinion of barbies.<br>Meanwhile, the cheerleader who had just been standing there didn't say a thing. All she'd been doing so far was fiddle with her black hair or glasses, whilst staring at various things. Christy turned to her when she was done consoling Alice. ''So, this is Alice! She's new here!'' The girl hesitantly waved with a faint smile on her face. ''Ummm, hey... My name's Angie.'' Alice tried to smile some more confidence into Angie's system. ''I'm Alice. Are you okay?'' Angie nodded. Christy jumped in, and said: ''She's just shy, don't worry. Angie's my bestie here, ha ha!'' It was kind of funny to see Christy drag Angie along like that, in an attempt to compensate for Angie's apparent introversion. It reminded her a lot of herself and her brother. She's always be the one introducing him to people and taking him outside. He wasn't nearly as shy as Angie, though, it was mostly just a lack of initiative on his part. The three of them walked towards Angie's room, and waited outside while she changed out of her cheerleading outfit. While they waited, the ever so bubbly Christy decided to revisit the topic of Mandy again. ''Poor Angie, she was stuck with Mandy all day. I thought she'd skip practice today, cause that's what we usually do when Mandy's all bitchy like that.''  
>Alice smiled faintly. ''You're a cheerleader too, eh? Well, it kind of suits you... Not that you're a bitch or anything!'' She added the latter with haste, in a desperate attempt to make sure that Christy didn't take it the wrong way. She didn't, perhaps because she wasn't quite sharp enough to make something negative out of it, or because she was sharp enough not to, and replied with a giggle. ''Awww, thanks! People always said that to me, so I just went for it. And it's fun!... When Mandy's not ruining it. Or Pinky.'' Pinky must have been that other girl. She looked really aloof and bitchy, and she probably was, by the sound of it. Note to self, Alice thought, do not join the cheerleader team. In the meantime, Angie had exited her room, ready to join them on the Bullworth Tour. ''Okay, so...'' Christy was straight to the point as always. ''... You know all about the girl's dorm now. Let's go outside!'' The three of them went outside. There were a lot of people around for some reason. Alice looked at the small crowd. ''What's going on?'' Christy sighed. ''Boys must be fighting again. They do that, like, all the time...'' That wasn't a good sign. When they went over to take a look, all they saw was an angry, bruised boy who was hitting a scrawnier boy. The victim looked a bit younger, and unlike the assailant, wore a pink shirt. Alice also saw a blue sweater, which was lying on the ground, all torn up. The attacker was a short (though taller than his victim), red-haired boy, who was only wearing a dirty white shirt. ''ARE YOU CALLING ME A WIMP, KID?! HUH?!'' The scruffy boy looked very upset. The smaller one whimpered: ''N-No! I'm just saying that you shouldn't pick on people 'cause they're new!'' Upon hearing that, the pink-shirted boy got shoved and fell on the ground. The red-haired boy lunged at him to hit him, but Alice appeared on the scene to stop him. ''What're you doing!?'' She exclaimed, whilst holding on to the bully's wrist with a grip that was strong enough to prevent him from hitting the smaller kid. ''NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, BITCH!'' The redhead barked. Alice turned her face away instinctively as tiny drops of saliva flew towards her and made contact with her eyes. Christy, who had been watching in mild shock, now decided to butt in as well.<br>''Come on, Wade, don't be like that!'' Wade looked at Christy before shoving Alice away, breaking her grasp. The violence made Christy gasp, as well as Alice, who stumbled a back a few steps. Disapproving noises rose from the crowd, mostly made by the students in teal sweaters. ''Don't hit girls, man...'' Christy stepped forward. ''Yeah, Wade! Alice is just a girl! And Petey's...'' ''SHUT UP!'' Wade was yelling at Christy, having lost his patience completely. First, the new kid beat his ass. And now he was getting defied by a few girls? His friends weren't looking happy about it, either. This wasn't going to get him points with the leader. Why would his friends respect him if he couldn't even handle his own sister? He came closer to Christy, breathing rather heavily. ''You better don't mess with me, sis. You're gonna regret it!'' While Wade approached Christy with clenched fists, Alice decided that now wasn't the time to just stand by and watch. ''Hey, hey, hey! Wade, was it?'' Wade turned around. ''What's it to you?! Huh?!'' Alice gulped. Now the bully was coming for HER! Christy opened her mouth to lure him back, but a new vigilante eleminated the need. ''That's close enough, Wade. In fact, I find that a little too close.'' Wade looked to his left, and there he stood. The new kid, ready for another fight. Shay stepped forward, towards the scruffy bully. Unfortunately for Shay's nerves, Wade didn't move an inch. He wasn't going to lose another fight, if it came to that. And it would come to that. He'd make sure it would. ''Ohhh, what?'' Wade said, imitating Shay's sarcastic tone. ''You getting all worked up if I touch your girlfriend?!'' ''She's my sister!'' Shay hissed. ''And yes, I do have a problem with that!'' Shay came a few steps closer, and continued. ''So, Wade... Don't you have some other people to touch? A few 'friends', maybe?'' Wade's hands clenched even harder. ''SHUT YOUR MOUTH, NEW KID! I DO WHATEVER THE FUCK I WANT!'  
>Wade barked at Shay, more than ready to bite. But rather than do that, he instead walked towards Alice, and shoved her again. A perfect demonstration of the fact that he really could do whatever he wanted. However, while that was the case, that didn't mean Shay was ever going to agree. He grabbed Wade by the throat, and looked him in the eye. ''You little gi-'' A kick on his right shin ended his sentence prematurely. Shay shoved Wade back, and kicked him in the abdomen, which created even more distance. Wade's core didn't cope well, as it had already endured its share of impact. He was hunched over, which gave Shay the opportunity to land a punch. His right hand hit Wade square on the temple, just like last time. Wade fell on the ground, and winced in pain as yet another bruised spot had been hit. Shay's knuckles hurt, too, but that wasn't nearly enough to floor him, unlike the pain Wade was in. It looked like Shay had won the fight, and considering the fact, that was the case. However, his victory was short lived. A deep voice came from the entrance of the boy's dorm, and it turned as many heads as it caused people to flee. ''NEW KID! NOT HURT RUSSELL'S FRIEND! MAKE RUSSELL MAAAAD!'' A huge piledriver of a man was standing there. His hair was a mess, his huge body hardly fit into his clothes, and his fists were curled up. This titan was mad, very mad. And he was mad at Shay. He stormed towards Shay headfirst, with such force and speed that he caught Shay in his charge like a fly on a car window. When he stopped, Shay fell off and coughed.<br>That took quite a bit of air out of his lungs! The giant approached him, ready to pin him down. If that happened, it'd be the end of Shay's life. The latter quickly got up, and looked at his assailant in disbelief. Was this a human being? And if so, was this human being a student?! He was wearing the uniform, but... There was no time to question the matter, as the giant came running once again. Was this going to be the end of him? He was ready to see a white light, but instead, what he saw was a flash of blue. Navy blue. ''RUSSELL NORTHROP!'' A prefect stood inbetween them, his finger pointed at the giant. ''Back into the dorm, NOW! You're getting detention!'' Russell Northrop groaned, turned around, and walked right back into the dorm. Shay had always despised authority, but right now, he was grateful. That prefect saved his life! He got back up and rubbed the back of his head. That was quite a nasty drop. Meanwhile, Alice rushed towards Shay. ''Shay! Are you alright?!'' In such a dire situation, rhymes weren't appropriate. Shay nodded. ''I've been hit by a big fleshy train, but otherwise, I'm alright.'' Alice looked at Shay's hands. ''Your knuckles are all torn up...'' She grabbed his hand and inspected the bits of missing skin. It really wasn't anything serious at all, but Alice was very worried about her brother. She'd never seen him take charge of a situation like that. She'd always been the one protecting him, and now... ''If you want to read the future in my finger bones, you might have to wait another century or so.'' Shay was looking at her with that smirk that he always had when he was watching something silly. She quickly let go of his hand. ''I'm sorry, I just spaced out. I'm just glad you're okay, little brother.'' Shay nodded. ''I was in a pinch, wasn't I?'' ''You're STILL in a pinch, mr. Bonham!'' A stern, old voice ruined their moment. Doctor Crabblesnitch was standing right behind them, and he wasn't pleased at all. ''Two fights in one day?! Your first day, no less! Are you really that relentless a scoundrel?! I want you in my office, NOW!'' Shay sighed as he followed the headmaster, who had turned around sharply and walked away. Bullworth Academy. A prestigious and renowned school? This place was a pit of violence and mischief!


	3. Chapter 3: Brave ambitions

It could be his nerves or the bad atmosphere, but the scent in the principal's office was even more reminiscent of that of an ancient tomb than it had been a few hours ago. ''When I heard the report, I could simply not believe it! A fight, on your first day at school! Two, even! Two!'' Doctor Crabblesnitch' face looked even more contracted than usual as he initiated the scolding. ''Have you lost your mind, boy?!'' Shay was trying not to sigh. He had to be tactful. Please him, tell him what he needs to hear. ''Sir, with all due respect...'' So far, so good. ''If I could get a word or two in to the extent of my defense...'' He was starting to sound even more refined than Crabblesnitch himself.  
>Funny, considering the fact that he had just finished beating someone up.<br>''I expect a very good explanation from you, mister Bonham!'' Crabblesnitch folded his hands, and looked very serious. Not that he ever looked like he was about to have a laugh, the gesture simply added to his general air of 'Please note that I am a very important and serious man'. Shay hesitated. What would be the best line of rebuttal here?  
>''The first fight was directly out of self defense. He attacked ME, sir! I swear! Anyone can confirm that.'' Shay looked at Crabblesnitch, expecting a reaction. The principal could only spare a nod. ''We'll see about that, then. But you cannot use that excuse to explain the second skirmish, Bonham.'' He was right, that didn't quite apply. Not directly, anyway.<br>''Sir, if I may! He was harassing my sister and then proceeded to kick me!''  
>Crabblesnitch didn't buy it. ''Only after YOU assaulted him! Out of spite, I assume!''<br>Shay shook his head. ''I only told him to keep his distance from my sister!''  
>Crabblesnitch leaned forward slightly. ''And he didn't. But violence is NOT an appropriate response! That isn't the Bullworth way, boy!'' Was he kidding? That's the epitome of Bullworth!<br>''Nor is harassing younger boys or girls, though!'' Shay said.  
>''Don't get wise with me, boy! Take some responsibility and face your punishment!'' Crabblesnitch lightly struck his desk. Classic rhetoric. Shay sighed. It was true, he didn't have a strong case when it came to the second fight.<br>''I'm taking responsibility for my actions, sir. I only expect Wade to do the same thing.''  
>Crabblesnitch squinted. ''Would you question my sense of justice? I will punish everyone involved accordingly!'' Shay didn't question Crabblesnitch' sense of justice. Not its absence, that is. Crabblesnitch returned to his original position, and his brow became slightly less furrowed. ''Since it is only the beginning of your time here, I will not allow any friction between you and your fellow students, or the staff. That is why I will limit myself to a warning this time. But heed it well, boy! Next time, you will be in grave trouble!'' Why did he assume that there would be a next time?<br>Shay nodded. ''Thank you, sir.'' Crabblesnitch was clearly enjoying his role as the just ruler. ''Off you go, now. Do not disappoint me, Bonham!''

The fresh air felt great. A late summer breeze blew through his hair and filled his lungs with fresh oxygen. A natural remedy against stress, which Shay had plenty of. How was he going to cope with all of this? With the way things were, he was sure to get into a fight every day. He went from being an awkward pacifist to being a notorious brawler in a matter of one morning. Now all that was left to do was get stuck in prison for a few months, and he'd have a complete imagine going! He could have kept gloomthinking until sundown, but his sibling dragged him out with her soothing voice. ''Oy!'' Alice waved at him, so he waved back and approached her. ''That took him a while! Did you bribe him with a qui-'' Shay wouldn't have it.  
>''I did not! He spent the whole time lecturing me, thank you very much!... I got away with a clean record, though. Just for today, anyway.'' Alice smiled. ''Lucky bird! You sure you didn't bribe him?'' Shay shook his head and ran his hand through his own hair. ''A lucky bird, not a ducky, mind you!'' Alice shrugged. ''You'll have to bribe him next time. Rawwww.''<br>Shay looked a tiny bit upset. ''What's gotten into you all of a sudden?! Are these cavemen rubbing off on you or something?'' Alice was about to exploit Shay's way of phrasing it when they heard hesitant footsteps approach them. It was none other than the victim from before, Pink Shirt, in the flesh. ''Ummm...'' Dazzling eloquence. ''... I wanted to thank you guys. You know, for sticking up for me before.'' Alice gave him a worried look upon seeing him. ''Oh, yeah, of course! People can't just bully other people, I can't stand it when shit like that happens. Are you okay?''  
>The boy nodded. ''Y-Yeah, yeah! I'm fine! You were in time!'' He looked at Alice nervously, and then awkwardly turned to Shay. ''You beat him up pretty good! I mean, I don't like violence but Wade kind of... He's been bullying me for a while so...''<br>''No worries, I get it! We had a score to settle as well.'' Shay patted the boy on the arm,whereupon the latter flinched. Both Shay and Alice noticed that, and the boy looked embarrassed. ''... So, I'm Pete! I'm the head boy.'' Not a loved one at that, that much was clear.  
>''Alice.'' Alice smiled at Pete, and Shay gave Pete a faint smirk as well.<br>''Shay. I'm the back alley brawler.'' Pete smiled back, and a short silence followed.  
>Pete was kind of an awkward fellow, but that was fine with Shay. Alice couldn't possibly mind either, because if she did, she wouldn't like hanging out with her brother so much. ''... So, have you guys been shown around yet?'' Quite a bold social move. Perhaps Shay had underestimated him. Either way, he shook his head. Alice rolled with her eyes. ''I was going to get a tour, but then we ran into that asshole...'' Pete rubbed his head. ''W-Well, I could show you guys around then! We'll just have to avoid the bullies, h-ha ha...'' Alice frowned. ''There's more of them?''<br>Pete sighed. ''Loads more... C'mon, let's go!'' He took off and awkwardly half-gestured them to follow.

After a little while, he stopped and looked at a parking lot.  
>''So, this is where Wade and his gang hang out. You should not go there... Ever.''<br>He shuddered. Apparently, he was a little too familiar with the risks.  
>Shay shrugged. ''Don't know what I'd want on a dirty parking lot anyway.''<br>Pete rubbed his head. ''W-Well, it's one of the only places you can put your bike...''  
>Luckily, neither Shay nor Alice owned one of those.<br>They moved on to a crossroad section with a fountain in the middle. Shay thought it looked quite nice, but the fountain wasn't particularly well sculpted.  
>Pete pointed at a rather imposing building to the left. ''That's Harrington House.'' he said.<br>''The preps hang out here.'' Shay looked at a few well-dressed kids who were talking to one another. He could hear the exaggerated British accents from where he was standing,  
>which was quite far away. Alice smirked. ''Maybe we should give them a taste of Irish supremacy, huh?'' Shay shrugged. To be honest, he always liked England better.<br>Of course, he'd never mention that to his family. ''I'm afraid I'm gonna need more beer for that, lassie.'' Shay feigned an accent, which went very well. After all, he'd spent all his life hearing it. Pete laughed a little. ''I wouldn't try talking to them at all, though. They're jerks.''  
>Shay and Alice could understand why Pete thought that. Pretentious types weren't their favourite people anyway. ''And on the other side, we've got the grease monkeys. They're the complete opposite. They're obsessed with bikes, too.'' Shay peeped into the gate from a distance and saw a few scruffy kids in leather jackets. ''Kinky.'' he said. Pete looked at him. ''W-What?'' Shay chuckled and shrugged. Pete, seemingly having understood the joke now, looked flustered. ''D-Don't insult their looks! They get mad real easy!'' Shay shrugged. ''Wade got mad real easy too!'' Alice looked at her brother. Was Shay trying to look tough, or was he just joking? ''You're not gonna fight anyone, are you, little brother?'' she said with a stern look in her eyes. Shay looked surprised. ''Goodness no! Enough of that!'' That'll do, she thought. He had to look out for her brother here. Thankfully, Shay always listened to her. Of course, he had better reasons not to fight anyone. After all, being a good kid was a priority now that he'd been warned. In the meantime, Pete had led them towards what was apparently the gymnasium, as the sign indicated. ''This is where all the jocks hang out.'' Obviously!<br>Shay nodded. ''So, there's a whole gym here, eh?'' Pete gave Shay a frightened look.  
>''You're not thinking of going in there, are you?'' Shay nodded.<br>''Why wouldn't I?'' Pete looked at the Jocks who were playing basketball. Some of them were glaring at the trio. ''...They're really aggressive and they don't let anyone on their turf.''  
>Shay sighed. ''Are you serious? What is this, a bloody war zone?! I can't park a bike, go into my dorm or exercise. What's going on in this school?'' Pete sighed. ''It's the cliques. They're totally crazy! They-They bully everyone, they attack each other, skip class...'' Alice shook her head. ''Why isn't anyone fixing that?!'' Pete shrugged. ''I've been trying to get the principal to stop this, but he doesn't even think it's a problem!<br>I don't think he knows how bad it is...'' Shay heard a familiar voice behind him. ''That old man's a stinking phoney!'' It was the bald kid from before. ''Oh, Jimmy!'' Pete greeted Jimmy, who joined the three of them. He almost immediately turned towards Alice, whom he wasn't familiar with yet. ''Hello there!...I'm Jimmy! Who're you?'' Alice looked at Jimmy.  
>Was he trying to be seductive? As if. '' , my name's Alice.''<br>She tried to kind of smile at Jimmy. If Pete liked him, he couldn't be that bad...  
>At least not a bully. Shay gave Jimmy a nod and a smile. Apparently, they'd already met. Jimmy looked at Shay. ''Another fight, huh?'' Shay nodded. ''Aye, another.''<br>''You had a talk with that phoney too?'' Shay nodded again. ''Thoroughly boring.''  
>''What'd you say?'' Shay tilted his head. ''I sort of went with it. Told him I'd behave.''<br>Jimmy snorted. ''Shoulda told him what for. This place is a mess.'' Shay nodded. ''A pit of violence and madness.'' ''And bullies!'' Alice added.  
>An unfamiliar voice sounded behind them. ''Oh, yeah! Bullworth's such a scary place!<br>Boo hoo hoo, grow some balls, newbies!'' A boy with a fade cut and a green sweater approached them. He looked rather smug, and something about him gave off a bit of a... Deranged vibe. He also had a scar above his right eye, which added to the ''Dangerous'' look he was sporting. He grinned a wolfish grin at Petey and slapped him on the shoulder rather hard. ''Oooooh, Petey! Way to hang out with the loser, new kids!'' He laughed at his own joke and looked at Shay and Alice. ''Fuck off, Gary.'' Jimmy grumbled, his arms crossed. Gary made a dramatic gesture.  
>''Oh, Jimbo, please! Don't be so mean! You hurt my feelings! All I'm trying to do is to make these newbies feel at hooome!'' Jimmy sighed and rubbed his temple.<br>''Whatever. Don't be a dick, man.'' Shay had no idea what to say. Was this Gary kid trying to get on his nerves? He did make him feel very uncomfortable...  
>Alice seemed uncomfortable too, and she was about to tell Gary off for being a bully. Not a good start. ''Soooo, new kid!'' Gary came closer to Shay. Too close. ''You stayed in the belly for long, didn't you?'' Gary chuckled as he looked at Shay.<br>True, Shay was rather tall. ''It is a pleasure indeed.'' Shay nodded.  
>''Witty too, huh?'' ''What the hell is your problem?!'' Alice couldn't stand seeing her brother like that. He was obviously a little scared of Gary. At least, she could tell. Gary held both his hands up and backed away. ''Whoa-hoa... Dangerous...''<br>He laughed in a way that really annoyed Alice. ''I will be if you keep bothering us!''  
>Gary had a go at imitating Alice's light accent. ''Oh please, so scarr'd!''<br>More laughing. Jimmy had enough. ''What do you want, anyway?!''  
>Gary clapped his hands a single time. ''Uh, well... The school?''<br>''Get real, Gary.'' Jimmy was really losing his patience. His body language made that obvious. ''No, really! I want the school! I want US to have the school!  
>But it's not ours yet. First, we gotta take those losers down!''<br>Jimmy sighed. ''Not more of this! Fuck that!'' Gary got animated.  
>''Listen, James! This matters! If you take on those bullies, Russell's gonna know there's a bad kid in town!'' Shay butted in this time. ''Wait, wait. What's this about bullies and Russell?'' Gary looked amused now. ''Oh, curious, are we? Good! See, this guy knows what's up, Jimbo. See, I made a plan to take over the school, but to do that,<br>we need to take Russell's gang down. Russell's that big doofus who kicked your ass this morning, by the way. Hah hah!'' Gary saw that? Shay didn't think it was funny.  
>''I know Russell all too well. But how're you gonna take him down?!''<br>Gary laughed. ''Slow down, big boy! First, his gang's gotta get messy!...  
>Look, these nerd kids got trouble with the bullies. If we help them out, we'll be able to teach them a lesson!'' Shay didn't know what to say. He'd just met the guy, and now he's explaining him some sort of evil master plan to take over the school?<br>What kind of weird ambition is that? Standing up against bullies wasn't a weird ambition, though. Gary saw Shay's attitude change when he mentioned taking down Russell, and decided to press the point a little more. ''Come on, man...''  
>Gary looked at Shay. ''These guys were messing with you, AND your sister!<br>Are you gonna let them keep doing that? Because they WILL, my friend,  
>until somebody shuts them up!'' Shay knew that was true. They were after him and Alice now.<br>''... What about Crabblesnitch? He's going to flay me if I get into another fight!''  
>Gary laughed. ''You think that guy has authority...?'' Shay didn't like how smug Gary looked and wasn't sure if he did think that Crabblesnitch had any authority.<br>''... Look. The thing is: the prefects are the only strong link. If they catch you, it's trouble.  
>But if they don't... Nobody's gonna care!'' Shay couldn't believe it.<br>''Aren't they going to report it?'' Gary laughed. ''Report what? Every little thing?''  
>To be honest, it did make sense. If the staff was vigilant, there wouldn't be so much trouble all the time. Alice didn't approve at all, though. ''What're you trying to talk him into? That Russell's gonna kill us all!'' Gary shook his head. ''Russel's not even around, sassy lady!<br>So, relax... I've planned this.'' He smirked again. Jimmy had been listening as well, but didn't seem to care much. Alice was about to say something, when they got disturbed again.  
>This time, it was a fat boy with glasses and a green sweater. He hobbled towards them awkwardly and spoke to Gary in a wimpy voice: ''G-Gary! Are you going to help them? They're gonna get hurt!'' The latter laughed and looked at Shay and Jimmy. ''Well, boys... Are you up for it?'' Shay nodded. ''Alright.'' Alice grabbed his arm. ''What? No! You're mad!'' Shay looked at Alice. ''I'm not going to live in a boarding school full of bullies.<br>You don't like bullying either, do you? Somebody's gotta change it! Maybe this school'll be kind of fun without them! We could have a normal life here after all!''  
>Alice wasn't buying it. ''Tchh... What're you, a war hero? C'mon, this is just asking for trouble!''<br>''You heard what he just said! Getting caught is trouble!'' Shay was actually determined.  
>He felt about making the decision to stand up against bullies, and he was going to see this one through. Jimmy stood besides Shay and smirked at Alice.<br>''Hey, don't worry! I'll keep an eye on him. He's not getting hurt.'' Alice knew what Jimmy was doing: he was trying to get her favour. With things as they were, she might benefit from playing along. After all, Shay was dead set on teaching the bullies a lesson, and him having at least some protection made her feel slightly better. Besides, she wouldn't mind seeing the bullies crash and burn... ''Alright, fine. Go ahead! But I'm going too!''  
>Shay flinched. ''Urgh! What?! But-'' Alice shook her head. ''But nothing! I'm coming with you, little brother!'' There. Now he was 100% safe!<br>Meanwhile, the nerdy boy was panicking and Gary was chuckling contently.  
>His estimations were correct. He'd pulled all the right strings.<br>His plan was working.


End file.
